# Aaron Woolfolk > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Aaron_Woolfolk > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Aaron_Woolfolk.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Woolfolk > Source revision: 1324358063 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Aaron Woolfolk** (born in [Oakland, California](/source/Oakland,_California)) is an American [film director](/source/Film_director), [screenwriter](/source/Screenwriter), [producer](/source/Film_producer), and [playwright](/source/Playwright). He shot his first [feature film](/source/Feature_film) *[The Harimaya Bridge](/source/The_Harimaya_Bridge)* in [Kōchi Prefecture](/source/K%C5%8Dchi_Prefecture), [Japan](/source/Japan) and [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco). The film had a nationwide theatrical release in Japan in the summer of 2009, and had a limited independent release in the United States in 2010. His play *[Bronzeville](/source/Bronzeville_(play))*, which he co-wrote, opened to critical acclaim in 2009 and has since enjoyed two successful revivals. His podcast dramas *There's Something Going on With Sam* and *Renaissance Man* were nominated for numerous awards in 2015 and 2016. Woolfolk was the recipient of an [ABC Entertainment](/source/ABC_Entertainment) Talent Development Grant, and was later a [Walt Disney Studios](/source/The_Walt_Disney_Company)/[ABC Entertainment](/source/ABC_Entertainment) Writing Fellow. ## Films ### Short films For his first film, the short *Rage!*, Woolfolk won a [Directors Guild of America](/source/Directors_Guild_of_America) award.[1] His short films *Eki* and *Kuroi Hitsuji*, both shot in rural Japan, won several awards, screened in international film festivals, and played on cable television.[2] Woolfolk's short film, *Nico's Sampaguita*, centered around San Francisco's Fillmore Jazz District, also won a number of awards and screened in several film festivals. ### Feature films Woolfolk's feature directorial debut, *[The Harimaya Bridge](/source/The_Harimaya_Bridge)*, which starred [Danny Glover](/source/Danny_Glover), [Ben Guillory](/source/Ben_Guillory), [Saki Takaoka](/source/Saki_Takaoka) and [Misa Shimizu](/source/Misa_Shimizu), won a number of awards, including Best First Time Feature Director at the Pan African Film Festival.[3] *[The San Francisco Examiner](/source/The_San_Francisco_Examiner)* named it "one of the best films of the year," while the *[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)* called it "powerful" and "a unique, complex, consciousness-raising accomplishment." The film was invited to screen at the [Smithsonian Institution](/source/Smithsonian_Institution) in Washington, DC. The film had a nationwide release in Japan and an independent release in the United States, and is also available on DVD and VOD via Netflix, Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Xfinity, and Cinemanow.[4] ## Plays Woolfolk collaborated with fellow playwright [Tim Toyama](/source/Tim_Toyama) in writing *[Bronzeville](/source/Bronzeville_(play))*. It was developed by The [Robey Theatre Company](/source/Robey_Theatre_Company), which produced it in association with The Los Angeles Theatre Center. *Bronzeville* had its world premiere on 17 April 2009 and enjoyed an extended, sold-out run. Woolfolk and Toyama received a nomination for an [Ovation Award](/source/Ovation_Awards) in the category Best Playwriting for an Original Play. They were also nominated for an NAACP Theater Award in the category Best Playwright. ## Podcasts In 2015 Woolfolk started collaborating with [Earbud Theater](/source/Earbud_Theater), a podcast anthology series that produces radio-like dramas in the vein of *[The Twilight Zone](/source/The_Twilight_Zone)* and *[The Outer Limits](/source/The_Outer_Limits_(1963_TV_series))*. Woolfolk's first effort was the horror story "There's Something Going on With Sam", which he wrote and directed. The story deals with a mother and son who try to figure out why the once-friendly ghost living in their home has suddenly become cruel and vicious. It received three 2015 Audio Verse Awards nominations in the categories Best Writing of an Original, Long-Form, Standalone Production; Best Original, Long-Form, Standalone Drama; and Best Original, Long-Form, Standalone Production. His second effort was the 2016 science fiction story "Renaissance Man", which he wrote and directed. The story concerns a struggling musician who discovers a secret that allows him to get everything he desires... at a price. It received a 2016 Audio Verse Awards nomination in the category Best Writing of an Original, Long-Form, Self-Contained Production. In 2017 Woolfolk will direct his original story "Family Line". ## Other experiences Woolfolk is a veteran of the [Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme](/source/JET_Programme) (JET). He taught junior high school English in [Kōchi Prefecture](/source/K%C5%8Dchi_Prefecture), Japan. Woolfolk has a deep background in music, having played violin for several years. He also played viola, piano, and flute. As a teenager he was a member of Berkeley Youth Orchestra and [Young People's Symphony Orchestra](/source/Young_People's_Symphony_Orchestra). As a student at the [University of California Berkeley](/source/University_of_California_Berkeley) he was a member of the University Symphony. ## Education Woolfolk is a graduate of the [University of California Berkeley](/source/University_of_California_Berkeley), where he received bachelor's degrees in Ethnic Studies and Rhetoric. He later graduated from [Columbia University](/source/Columbia_University), where he received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Film with an emphasis on directing.[5] ## Filmography - *Rage!* (short film, 1997) - [Directors Guild of America](/source/Directors_Guild_of_America) best student filmmaker award - *Eki* (short film, 1999) - *Kuroi Hitsuji* (short film, 1999) - *[The Harimaya Bridge](/source/The_Harimaya_Bridge)* (feature film, 2009) - *Nico's Sampaguita* (short film, 2012) ## External links - [Aaron Woolfolk](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0941192/) at IMDb ## References 1. The Harimaya Bridge Official Page, Staff Bios, Aaron Woolfolk, ["The Harimaya Bridge Official Site"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110827090920/http://theharimayabridge.com/aboutFilm/director.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.theharimayabridge.com/aboutFilm/director.html) on 27 August 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2013. 1. *Id.* 1. Aaron Woolfolk, IMDb, Awards, [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0941192/awards](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0941192/awards) 1. The Harimaya Bridge, VOD and DVD, ["The Harimaya Bridge Official Site"](https://web.archive.org/web/20131207193715/http://theharimayabridge.com/VODandDVD/index.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.theharimayabridge.com/VODandDVD/index.html) on 7 December 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2013. 1. The Harimaya Bridge Official Page, Staff Bios, Aaron Woolfolk, ["The Harimaya Bridge Official Site"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110827090920/http://theharimayabridge.com/aboutFilm/director.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.theharimayabridge.com/aboutFilm/director.html) on 27 August 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2013. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Aaron Woolfolk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Woolfolk) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Woolfolk?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.